Today in History: Studebaker

On this day (February 16) in 1852 the Studebaker Brothers Wagon Company was founded. Studebaker is especially fascinating because it successfully transitioned from building horse powered wagons to automobiles. (They even experimented with electric cars.) The company got its start building wagons for westward migration, then expanded mightily by providing the Union with wagons during the Civil War. In 1902 they began to sell electric cars but switched to gasoline powered cars in 1904. They remained a family company throughout their existence and that sometimes led to problems finding proper leadership. Financial problems resulted in the closing of the company in 1967.